Zhang Zai, zihou, known as Mr. Hengqu, was a native of Hengqu Town, Mei County, Shaanxi, and the founder of the Guan School of the Northern Song Dynasty. Contemporary philosopher Feng Youlan famously said four sentences of Hengqu:
"Establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, and continue to learn from the saints,
Peace for all the worlds
。 ”
It's from Zhang Zai's mouth. Everyone knows the two brothers Zhu Xi and Cheng Jia of Song Ming Lixue, but they know very little about Zhang Zai. He was inspired by Fan Zhongyan to read "Zhongyong" at the age of 21, Yu Jingshi and Ercheng discussed Zhou Yi and Taoism at the age of 37, and Zhang Zai, who had a rich life course at the age of 51, has always taken "Kai Taiping" as his ultimate life interest, and eventually became the new Confucian of the Song Dynasty.
The young man lost his father and had the world in his heart
The history books record that Zhang Zaizushang has always lived in Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, his grandfather Zhang Xia is a scholar of the Jixian Academy, and his father Zhang Di once served as the governor of Zhifu Prefecture, born in such a family of officials and eunuchs, naturally attaches great importance to the education of future generations. When Zhang Zai was born, his father was serving in Chang'an, and when he was 10 years old, his father invited him a famous teacher in Chang'an City, and people around him praised Zhang Zai like this:
"Unambitious, knowing the false and obeying the father's orders"
, enough to show that this young son is more intelligent than his peers. Unfortunately, Zhang Zai could not grow up smoothly under the protection of his father, and his father died when he was serving in Fuzhou, the land of eunuchs, Zhang Zai was only 15 years old at the time, as the eldest son in the family, he had to take care of his sick mother, take more care of his two younger siblings, and also send his father's coffin back to Kaifeng.
The return journey lasted for five hundred miles, for dozens of days, and when it reached a small town in Chang'an mei County, it was unexpected that there was a mutiny on the road ahead and it was impossible to continue. After discussing with his family, Zhang Zai decided to settle down here, and he entrusted someone to return to Kaifeng to sell his ancestral home, and then settled down in Hengqu Town. After Zhang Zai buried his father in the local Mihuling Ridge, and after keeping filial piety for his father for three years according to the etiquette system and properly arranging everything in the family, the young talent went to Chongshouyuan alone to study.
Zhang Zai has never been depressed because of his lonely life, he chooses to face reality and has the world in mind. Since the founding of the Northern Song Dynasty, due to the release of military power by the Song Taizu Cup of Wine, the wind of Shangwu has gradually weakened. However, the frontiers of the country are still suffering from frequent harassment by foreign races. Although he was a Confucian, Zhang Zai also had a heart to defend his family and defend the country, and when he traveled with his friends in the same window, he often talked about the affairs of the bing family, and organized civilian armed forces in the area of Lintao County, Gansu Province, where he practiced martial arts on his own; Zhang Zai even wrote such famous articles as "Nine Articles on Border Discussion".
Fan Zhong was painstakingly persuaded to study, and Zhang Zai stepped into Confucianism
At the beginning of the first year of Kangding, the Western Xia once again invaded the border of the Northern Song Dynasty, and in this year Fan Zhongyan was transferred to Yanzhou, Shaanxi, and Zhang Zai, who had long heard of Fan Gong's name, immediately took his "Nine Articles of Border Discussion" and went to see Fan Gong. Fan Zhongyan is 21 years older than Zhang Zai, Fan Gong has been floating and sinking in the eunuch sea for many years, and he has experienced the darkness of society since he was a child, and he has always been concerned about the world, hoping to be able to assist talented people through the power in his hands. After reading Zhang Zai's military masterpiece, Fan Zhongyun seemed to see his former figure from this teenager who had just passed the weak crown.
Although this talent has stated in detail the effective way to solve the problem of border customs from nine aspects. Fan Zhongyan realized from Zhang Zai's talk and knowledge that after this, he must be a descendant who can become a great instrument. It is a pity that the current border battlefield is dominated by some door valves, the western Xia war is tight, and the official field is full of corruption, and it is difficult for this young junior to have a head on the battlefield. What's more, Fan Zhongyan has been advocating the revival of Confucianism for many years, which he believes is the basis for saving the country, and at the age of 52, he finally entrusted his great task of reviving Confucianism to a descendant like Zhang Zai.
The Song Dynasty's Zhu Lan jade building and paper drunken gold fans are just illusions, and the people are still living in the depths of the water. So Fan Zhongyan said to Zhang Zai:
"Confucianism has its own famous religion, what is the matter with the soldiers?"
Such a Confucian who consciously can think independently does not necessarily have to make meritorious achievements in the military, and reviving Confucianism is the great responsibility of today's Confucianism. After saying this, Fan Gong sent the book "Zhongyong", which he had read through countless times, to Zhang Zai, hoping that he could revitalize Confucianism again and let Confucianism truly nourish the hearts of the people. A word awakened the dreamer, Zhang Zai listened to Fan Zhongyun's advice, he packed his bags and returned to his home in Meixian County, and began to painstakingly study the Confucian classics.
Fan Zhongyan was worried about the poor scholar who had only just learned people, and when he built a new city in Gyeongju, he had Zhang Zai recruited to Gyeongju. In his spare time, Fan Gong and Zhang Zai talked about the major events of the world, how to rectify the shortcomings of the times, and how to revive Confucianism; he took Zhang Zai to inspect his supervision and construction project. He regarded this student, who had only a few faces, as his own son. Under the weight of his mentor, Zhang Zai wrote the "Chronicle of Dashun City in Gyeongju" with a big stroke of his pen. In order to encourage Zhang Zai to continue on the road of promoting Confucianism, Fan Zhongyan used his own private money to pay for this article, first, to praise Zhang Zai's talent, and second, to indirectly help this poor student.
This huge reward did indeed solve Zhang Zai's urgent needs for himself, and he knew the intention of the teacher. Decades later, he himself went to Beijing to take the exam, and his brother used this money when he entered Beijing to take the exam. It can be said that if there is no Fan Zhongyun this Bole, the Song Dynasty will have one less Great Confucian who can create a new style of Confucianism.
Take the teacher as an example and practice the revival of Confucianism
At Fan Zhongyan's side, Zhang Zai learned what is the great sentiment of "caring for the world". After that, he only followed the instructions of his mentor and wrote a picture on both sides of the study
"After sleeping at night, the birds cry first"
Couplets are used to motivate themselves. When he finished reading the books of Confucianism, he still felt that these books would be difficult to realize his great ambitions, and then he began to study the books of Buddhism and Taoism in order to understand the neo-Confucian system that could save the country and save the people. When he was studying hard at home, when the Song court was implementing the new policy of celebrating the calendar, he always paid attention to the movements of Fan Gong, who vigorously promoted education reform in this reform. He advocated that Confucian students should not only rely on rote memorization to seek fame, but should know how to use their theoretical thinking.
Fan Zhongyan's practice was eventually opposed by the interests of the Korean and Chinese classes, and he was exiled again. However, his current education reform has set an example for Zhang Zai, who studied hard at home. While he strangled his wrists for the unfair encounters of Enshi, and at the same time he was cold to the politics of the court, Zhang Zai went to Fan Zhongyan's degraded place to visit Enshi, and between this conversation, Fan Gong once again encouraged Zhang Zai, if you want to master Confucianism, you must not stick to the rules, but to understand the truth of the use of the world, Zhang Zai is touched by the heart. Not long after, Fan Zhongyun was transferred to the southeast as an official because he could not bear the bitter cold weather in the northwest. For the next 10 years, Zhang Zai immersed himself in the countryside to study hard, and because of the distance from his mentor, he could only communicate with each other.
Fan Zhongyan's personal practice of feeding Zhang Zai set an example for the world to apply, and Zhang Zai also began to gradually break away from books, truly pay attention to the people's livelihood in the countryside, and even through his own practice, go to the rural neighborhood to educate the people and begin to establish his own system of doctrine. In this simple northwest land, the people began to know etiquette and emphasize education. Under the mobilization and influence of Zhang Zai, his younger brother Zhang Jian also began to implement the new political proposition of "both German and French rule" recommended by his brother in his place of office, and at that time, the land managed by his first group did indeed appear the phenomenon of "folk customs gradually becoming new".
He participated in the imperial examination and retired to the field
In the second year of Jiayou, Zhang Zai went to the Beijing Division to participate in the imperial examination, so he was 38 years old this year, but the chief examiner of the imperial examination at that time was Ouyang Xiu, who paid great attention to the selection of talents. Under the strong recommendation of Ouyang Xiu, Zhang Zaijinshi and Di, who entered the dynasty with him as an official at that time, as well as Su Shi, Su Rui, Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi and many other talented people. This group of people has left a twinkling star in the vast history. During these days when the capital was on standby, Zhang Zai began to give lectures in the Xiangguo Temple with the support of the prime minister, and he discussed the way of easy learning with Ercheng and completed his famous academic work "Easy To Say".
After Zhang Zai became an official, under the influence of Fan Zhongyun, coupled with his own ambition to revive Confucianism, when he was a local official, he would definitely go to the masses and understand the sufferings of the people and their needs through talking to the masses. Wherever Zhang Zai has been, he has left behind the good name of "Lord Qingtian". After more than 10 years as an official in the eunuch tour, Zhang Zai's political achievements were outstanding, and his good name was also passed into the emperor's ears. Because of his outstanding performance, Wang Anshi, who wanted to implement reform and change the law at that time, planned to pull Zhang Zai into his camp.
Unfortunately, he had always held a negative attitude toward Wang Anshi's change of law, which made Wang Anshi very disgusted with him; not long after, his younger brother was also exiled by degraded officials for opposing Wang Anshi's change of law. Zhang Zai knew that if he continued to stay in the official field, sooner or later he would also be implicated in this matter, and Zhang Zai, who had already been able to pass more than half a hundred, simply resigned from his official post and returned to his hometown in Hengqu and began his old life of cultivating and lecturing. He took into account the teachings of Teacher En's teacher Zhongyun and wrote a large number of works during this period. He also went into the countryside to fight for the local gongsheng, Zhixian, and Xuesheng, advising them to pay attention to the social and people's livelihood issues and not to focus on the examination of the imperial examination. Post-population said
"Establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, continue to learn from the saints, and open up peace for all the worlds"
It comes from this time period.
Not only that, Zhang Zai also carried out experiments in land reform in the fields, and he wrote these experiences into a song chapter to enlighten the emperor, which once again received the attention of Song Shenzong. The emperor noticed that this Confucian scholar had made a name for himself through his writings, and once again invited him to return to Beijing to change the deteriorating situation of the imperial court under Wang Anshi's reforms. Unfortunately, Zhang Zai, who returned to the Capital Division with full ambitions, was still difficult to agree with most officials, and coupled with the death of the deceased, the emperor did not attach so much importance to himself as he thought, Zhang Zai felt deeply desolate, and he could only resign at this time. Unfortunately, At this time, Zhang Zai was already an old man with a disease, and he had just arrived near Lintong and died of illness here. When he died, he actually had "no money to buy a coffin", and he lived a clear life, only to assume the great righteousness of reviving Confucianism, and such literati students were the new Confucians during the Song Dynasty.